Mabel Summers

Disputed Origins

Anderson does not recognize John Kendall, Jr. as the father of Mabell who m1 William Reed and m2 Henry Sommers.[6] AmericanAncestors

Biography

From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Kendall-50

According to Robert Charles Anderson, in the Great Migration series, Mabell's origin is unknown.[1] She is sometimes reported, by various online data bases, to be the daughter of John Kendall, Jr. and Elizabeth Kendall but apparently without evidence.

Mabell and William immigrated in 1635 aboard the Defence with their three oldest children, George, Ralph and Justice (on 18 July 1635, "W[illia]m Read," aged 48, "Maybell Read," aged 30, "George Read," aged 6, "Ralph Read," aged 5, & "Justice Read," aged 18 months, were enrolled at London as passengers for New England on the Defence).[1] Upon arriving, they lived at Dorchester, and removed to Roxbury by 1642, and to Scituate by 1647, and Woburn in 1648.[1] Mabell was admitted to the Roxbury church in 1647 as "Goodwife Reade."[1] Sometime between 1648 and 1656, William returned permanently to England, where he settled at Newcastle-uon-Tyne, Northumberland.[1]

Family

Mabell married, by about 1629 in England, to William Read, and they immigrated to Massachusetts Bay.[1] After William died, Mabell married, on 21 November 1660, as her 2nd, to Henry Summers, Sr.[1]

Children:[1]

1. George b 1629; mar 1) Elizabeth Ginnings (Jennison), 2) Hannah Rockwell
2. Ralph Read b c. 1630 (aged 5 on 18 July 1635) [Hotten 106]; mar Mary Pierce
3. Justice Read b c. Jan 1634, sailed to England with family in 1635, no further record
4. Abigail Reed bp 10 Dec 1638, but may have been b c. 1635; mar 2 Oct 1650 Francis Wyman
5. Israel bp 31 July 1642 Dorchester (family was living at Situate); mar Mary Kendall, daughter of Francis Kendall
6. Sarah b say 1644; mar Samuel Walker
7. Rebecca bp 26 Dec 1647 Roxbury; mar Joseph Winn
8. Child b say 1649, included based on the reference in father's will to his "four youngest children" (who were all younger than Abigail)

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Disproven children

• "Michael Reed was born in 1626 (before the date of parents' marriage). He is the son of William Reed and Mabel Unk." William Reed and Mabell (Unknown) Read had no son named Michael. However, William's will was probated at London, but a copy of the will was submitted at Middlesex County, Massachusetts.[1] That copy replaced the name "Abigail" with "Michael."[1] This may be the source of the reports of a non-existent child named Michael. (From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reed-981)
• Bethia Reed, who married John Johnson, son of Edward, the author of Johnson's " Wonder-working Providence" -perhaps the daughter of Esdras the tailor of Chelmsford.
• Mary Reed. Born 29 Jan 1651 in Woburn, Massachusetts. This person was created through the import of 124-DeCoursey.ged on 13 September 2010. The following data was included in the gedcom. You may wish to edit it for readability. Burial: Vernon, Indiana. (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reed-254)

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He returned to England, and died at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1656. A letter of administration was taken out by his widow, under Oliver Cromwell. She returned to America, and, after finishing the settlement of his estate, married Henry Summers of Woburn, Nov. 21,1660. She outlived her second husband, and resided with her son George till her death, which took place June 5, 1690, when she was eighty-five years of age.

On 14 October 1675, the will of Henry Summers, Sr. included bequests to his wife and to her children.[1] He had one son of his own, Henry Summers, Jr. who was to support Mabell in her widowhood.[1] Mabell took Henry Jr to court, contending that he was not looking after her adequately.[1]

Death and Legacy

Mabell died at Woburn on 15 Jun 1690, Her inventory was taken June 24, 1690

Biography

From Pioneers of MA by Pope. page 440 Archive.org

SUMNER, SOMNER, SUMER, SOMERS, Henry, ae. 15, and Elizabeth, ae. 18 came in the Abigail July 4, 1635, cert, from' Northampton, England. Res. at Woburn in 1663; wife then in Barnstable. She d. at the house of her mother Elizabeth Worden before Sept. 28, 1668. He m. 2, Mabel, widow of William Read, a sister of Francis Kendall, and mother of Francis and John Wyman. [See Mdx Files 13.] His will dated 14 Oct., prob. 23 Nov. 1675, beq. to son Henry Somers and wife Mabel and 'her children. Henry opposed the probating of the will, giving reasons which were duly answered. [Suff. Prob., file 750.] Prob. 23 (10) 1684. The widow made will 22 Jan. 1689-90, prob. June 17 following.; beq. to son George Read and his wife and her other children

sources

• New England marriages prior to 1700 By Clarence Almon Torrey, Elizabeth Petty Bentley Pg.616 "Read, William (1587-1656, in England) and Mabel Kendall (1606-1690), m/2 Henry Summers 1660; in Eng., b. 1629; Dorchester/Woburn."
• Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the ..., Volume 3 edited by William Richard Cutter, William Frederick Adams Pg.1518:
• '(V) William, supposed to be son of Thomas (4) and Mary Reed, of Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire, was born in England 1587 and was the oldest of the immigrants of this surname. He sailed from London in the ship "Defense" July 4, 1635, Captain Edward Fostick, and arrived in Boston October 6, same year, with his wife, who was Mabel Kendall, born 1605. They had with them children: George, born 1629, Ralph, 1630, and Justice (afterward called Abigail), 1633. Reed settled first at Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was admitted a freeman March 4, 1638. In August 1639, he sold his real estate in Dorshester to Thomas Clark, and removed to Scituate where he was constable in 1644. His wife made the journey to Dorchester on horseback in 1644 to have her infant son Israel baptized. William Reed removed to Muddy River (Brookline), having bought of Esdras Reed, said to have been his brother, a farm granted by the town of Boston, and he lived there until 1648. He then bought a farm in Woburn of Nicholas David and removed thither. He is the ancestor of the Woburn, Lexington, Bedford and Burlington Reads, and of most of the Reads in Maine. He returned to England finally and died at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1656. A letter of administration was taken out by his widow under Oliver Cromwell. She returned to America and after adminstrating the estate, married, November 21, 1660, Henry Summers of Woburn. She survived her second husband and lived with her son George at the time of her death, June 5, 1690, in her eighty-sixth year.

Children:

• 1. George, born 1629,
• 2. Ralph, 1630, married Mary Pierce, daughter of Anthony Pierce, of Watertown.
• 3. Abigail, 1633, married Francis Wyman.
• 4. Bethia, born in America, married John Johnson.
• 5. Israel, 1642, married Mary Kendall, daughter of Francis.
• 6. Sarah, married, September 10, 1662, Samuel Walker.
• 7. Rebecca, married Joseph Winn.

?Francis Kendall was named as her brother during a suit over the will of her second husband. He had left substantial legacies to his step-children, and his heir brought the suit.?

From Sewall's History of Woburn:37 "

They took up their abode in Woburn, upon land sold Mr. Reed by Nicholas Davis. Their dwelling-house stood in a pasture, called the Baldwin Pasture, on the road from Kendall's mill to the Messrs. Duren. The pasture is now [1868] owned by them; and remains of Mr. Reed's cellar and well are still to be seen there. But, ere many years, William Reed and his wife Mabel returned to England. He died at Newcastle, upon Tyne, æt. 69; and not haveing appointed executors in his will, letters of administration were granted by Oliver Cromwell, the Portector, 31 Oct. 1656, to his widow, Mabel, who speedily returned with her four youngest children to New England; married Henry Summers, sen., of Woburn, 21 Nov. 1660; and, outliving him, died at the house of her son George, 5 [15?] Jun 1690, aged 85 years."37

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References

• Great Migration 1634-1635, R-S. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VI, R-S, by Robert Charles Anderson. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB397/t/0/30/0
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44809339/mabel-read_summers has errors